


touch too much

by stephenssupreme



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Blow Jobs, Family Dynamics, Flashbacks, Hand Jobs, IronStrange, M/M, mlm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-23
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2018-12-05 15:41:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11581095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephenssupreme/pseuds/stephenssupreme
Summary: Stephen needs a distraction and Tony is the first man to turn to





	1. immoral judgments

**Author's Note:**

> woo, first time posting an ironstrange fic and before people start assuming, no this isn't just a one night stand fic between the two,, just wait

“He’s not ready, Stephen.” Oh shush, Wong, stop trying to have perfect moral judgement on everything, thought Stephen. They had been arguing about a student nearly all morning. Stephen believed that Sunan was ready for a dimensional mission - his training had been going perfectly and he could think of no one more worthy of such a treat. It was a simple mission anyway - just a simple errand. Wong on the other hand, had been protesting, saying that Sunan was not ready for such a journey yet.

“You know what? I’m Sorcerer Supreme; I don’t need to ask for your permission. Sunan is coming with me.” With the swoop of his cloak, Stephen turned on his heel, exiting the ancient study to go and find his student to tell him the delightful news. 

 

Sunan, a young man of twenty, had been profoundly thanking his master over and over again as they walked across the cobbled courtyard of Kamar-Taj - it was odd to think that just a few months ago the boy refused to say a single word to anyone. Magic had brought back his voice and not to mention his confidence. “Mr— I mean… Dr Strange, why are we going to New York first? I’ve never been there before but I doubt we’re going sightseeing.” He was softly spoken and quite small compared to the large man he was walking alongside.

“I need to pick something up before we leave. Maybe we can fit in some sightseeing before we come back though?” He flashed a tight grin, trying to get on the man’s good side since he knew Wong would be bitter for a good few days now.

 

Once in New York, Stephen disappeared to collect a fabric covered package, holding it under his arm as he approached Sunan, “do you mind holding this? I need to—”

“Make the portal!” Sunan interrupted, eagerly taking the package in his hands. God, he was excited. It was quite cute, honestly. 

 

Stephen conjured the portal with ease, the dimension they were about to step into looking just like a green hue. Even when they entered, a green smoke enveloped around them, suffocating them, really. “This isn’t right,” the sorcerer whispered, reaching to his side to pull Sunan closer but the boy was too busy staring at something in the distance. Lights? Two of them? Eyes! “Sunan, move!” Fuck! Someone must have been expecting them and whoever this was, they weren’t very welcoming. Things only got worse from there though; Stephen lunged forward to grab a wandering Sunan but it was all too late, there was a blast of light and then nothing. Literally nothing. The smoke dropped from around them and Stephen was stood alone in a barren wasteland, a sizzling pile of ash spread across the ground beside him. No… No, this can’t have happened. Even the package was gone. The package must have been the true target meaning Stephen was responsible. He MADE Sunan the target. In a dizzying stumble, he managed to create a portal straight back to New york. Someone was waiting for him there, too. Again, not very welcoming.

 

“The boy?” Wong asked. “Where is the boy, Stephen?” 

“I…” He felt like he was about to throw up, everything around him closing in and getting dark. How were you supposed to breathe again?

Wong didn’t say another word either, he just muttered something about sorting out this mess and walked off towards the door to Kamar-Taj.

 

A shower didn’t help. Neither did trying to take a nap. He was arush with guilt and his mind just wouldn’t calm down - it was as if he was trapped. That was it! He needed to get out. Get out and think about things. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a thin, black hoodie Stephen just pulled that on, not thinking much about it. It was late anyway - it wasn’t like he’d bump into anyone he knew. If he did, he hoped they wouldn’t recognise him, at least.

 

Little did the sorcerer know, he wasn’t the only hero wandering around the city that night. Well, in all honesty, the other hero wasn’t exactly ‘wandering’, in fact, he was actually flying.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, put some music on. You know how boring it gets up here in the sky.”

“Mr Stark, you’re the one who suggested this impromptu visit to our state’s capital. Did you come here to be alone?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Where is that music, F.R.I.D.A.Y?” And without further ado, AC/DC began to blast through Tony’s mask while he glided across New York’s skyline. Home. It was nice to live away from there, sure, but he missed it sometimes and he knew he always would. The weirdest part was not seeing Avenger’s tower anymore - it was now owned by some other big money corporation. 

 

The night was quiet and brisk, not many people out at this time of night unless they were one of two things: homeless or out drinking. One man caught Tony's attention, however, he neither looked drunk or homeless. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, identify that man for me,” asked Tony, flying down closer so that he himself could get a good look of the stranger. 

“That, Sir, is Doctor Stephen Strange. The two of you could be described as friends.”

“Yes, I know who Stephen is… I’m going down.” Tony dropped down closer to the ground, landing in front of the hooded figure. Damn, even in this light the man looked terribly pale. 

 

“Out on your lonesome, Doc?”

“You can talk, Stark,” huffed Stephen, looking up from the ground, pulling his hood off his head to then stuff his scarred hands into his pockets.

“True, true.” Silence followed this. Neither of them ever were very good at small talk. “Wanna talk about it?” There. That’s what you were supposed to say in situations like this, right?

“No. Can’t right now.” Pushing past Tony, Stephen attempted to be on his way and bottle up whatever was on his mind.

“Maybe later then? I’ve got all night.” Oh, he was  _ not _ going to let this go, was he? Tony followed Stephen close behind, the music in his suit faintly drifting out into the night. Best turn that off now.

 

They walked in silence, the clanging of the Iron Man suit replacing the words that should have been spoken. Eventually though, Tony removed the mask and spoke up and all for a good reason. “You know, I have an apartment in this block here. We could, you know, brood in silence and at least be in the warm and dry. Well, I’m warm and dry in this suit but I don’t want to be selfish. I’m above that now.”

“You inviting me in?”

“Sure am. You coming?”

Stephen let out a groan. What did he have to lose? “Fine, why not? I thought you lived upstate now, though?”

“What? You didn’t think I still kept a place of my own here in the city? I’d be an idiot if I didn’t. At least this place is a little more low key than the old tower, right?”

 

Inside, the place was pretty simple in comparison to Stark’s usual interior features. It looked like your run of the mill apartment in all honesty. Cosy yet modern, small yet open plan. Tony, now unsuited, was rummaging around the in kitchen, pouring the two of them a strong, well deserved drink. “You do drink, right?” Asked Tony, dropping a cube of ice into each glass.

“Only occasionally these days. Tonight I need one though.”

“My thoughts exactly.” He wandered over to the couch where the sorcerer was sat, a glass in each hand, one being passed to his guest for the evening. Brooding silence mixed with whiskey - a dangerous cocktail but a cocktail nonetheless.

 

This time, however, it was Stephen who broke the silence. He turned to his friend and out of the blue began to explain what had happened - how a young man died due to his own judgement. The way he spoke was as if all the life had been drained from him - if he was alone, he knew for sure he would be crying, fuck, his eyes were stinging already but he’d be damned if he let a single tear fall in front of Tony. He didn’t want to show weakness. Not now.

At first, Tony was prepared to lie and tell Stephen what he wanted to hear - that it wasn’t his fault and everything would be okay. That wasn’t what he needed though. Sometimes, the truth hurt. “Look, dude, I know it sucks. To be responsible for a man dying, it fucking sucks. There’s nothing we can do about it though, it happened and we have to move on and do better next time,” his eyes lit up though, something had suddenly altered his sentence, “wait, you can go back in time, right? With that necklace of yours.” Tony had been the only Avenger Stephen told about that night in Hong Kong. He told him because he trusted him and all he had ever seen was Tony trying to set things right even if people disagreed with him. He believed Tony would be the only one to understand.

“I can’t,” sighed the sorcerer breathlessly, his head shaking a little as he looked down into his lap, “one more stunt like that and the fabric of time itself might just rip apart before us. It’s too risky.”

Tony understood. Sometimes things weren’t that easy.

 

Sitting back, Stephen downed the rest of his drink, his arm dropping down onto the armrest, hand shaking terribly. “I just want to take my mind off things,” he muttered, glaring down at his own hand. Curse that damn tremor. Those words, however, Tony knew exactly what the sorcerer was hinting at. He might regret this in the morning but they were just two lonely friends who were both in need of a distraction. Propping his drink on the small table beside him, Tony then leaned over to take Stephen’s too, his arm wrapping over him to do so. There wasn’t a negative reaction from the sorcerer and he certainly didn’t prevent Tony from touching him. In fact, his hand slid up Tony’s back, fingers gently running up into the hair on the man’s neck. Permission. 

 

While one hand massaged against his jeans, Tony’s lips drifted up to Stephen’s grazing against them, their hot alcohol scented breath colliding at once. “You sure?” Tony asked. He had to ask.

“Yes, I’m sure,” Stephen growled back impatiently, “I’ve been sure about this for a long time, just happens to be that guilt gives me immoral courage - now quit talking and kiss me, you fool.” His trembling hands cupped Tony’s face, bringing him into an eager kiss, one that was more than happily returned. Liquor still coated their lips but that just made it even more addictive. Neither of were drunk, per se, they knew exactly what they were doing.

 

Tearing himself from Stephen’s hands, Tony got to work undoing the buckle of the other man’s belt, unzipping and pulling apart the top of his jeans, tugging down the fabric of his boxers in a lustful rush. Tony couldn’t help but lick his lips in anticipation, his hand quickly going in to stroke the sorcerer’s length all while looking the man directly in the eye. 

 

Stephen was a vocal one; he always had been. A small sigh of pleasure seeping through his lips even at that small touch. “Your lips, fuck, your beautiful lips.” He needn’t say anymore, Tony getting the message straight away. He shuffled back a bit before dipping down, his lips pressing a small kiss on the tip of his cock, even his tongue peeked out to flicker across. A teasing touch which made Stephen groan out, his hand grabbing down at Tony’s hair, tugging at it as best as he could, wanting him to take him into his mouth. His physical pleads were answered luckily, Tony opening his lips, taking Stephen’s twitching semi-erection into the wet warmth of his mouth. He needed to work a little more to get him hard. One hand was wrapped around the base, pumping it at the same rhythm he began to bob his head at while his other hand groped at his balls, rubbing and squeezing them to stimulate him more. 

 

Whining filled the room, Stephen letting his head roll back against the top of the couch, occasionally moaning out ‘Tony’ along with a plethora of curses - some English, some not even sounding like an Earthly language. EIther way it sounded attractive as hell. Tony was determined to get a taste of the man, picking up the pace though not necessarily on his own accord - Stephen was bucking his hips, actively fucking his lover’s mouth, making him almost gag. Yeah, no, he had to pull away for a moment and catch his breath. Tony’s lips glistened as he pulled up, gazing at Stephen not only with lust but with admiration. “Next time you’re going to ride me, Strange. Also you’re going to do some of that magic shit - I’m curious about how far you can go with that.” That was to make sure this wasn’t going to be just a one time thing. 

“Magic shit, hm? Maybe I’ll try some of that now if you get back down there, darling.”

 

He obediently dipped back down, first just trailing sloppy kisses against the side of his shaft before sucking him off again. Well, he did his part of the deal, now it was time for Stephen to pull a trick from his sleeve. Gulping, Stephen began to shakily mutter in a foreign language between panting short breaths. Sorcery. What a beautiful thing. Whatever he had chanted caused Tony to feel some kind of tantalizing heat in his pants. In a panic, he yanked his head up again, his hands now occupied with hastily taking off his clothes to see what was going on. “What the hell?!” He gasped, before it finally clicked what this spell was used for. An orange stream of glittering light was coiled around his cock, basically acting as a handjob but then again, so much more. The touch of the spell was warm and tight, Tony shakily moaning out ‘Stephen’ as he looked over to him. 

“This is just the basic stuff, Stark. Just you wait.” Stephen then slipped his hand back around behind Tony’s head and pushed him back down to finish off what he had started. 

 

It was as if Stephen wasn’t doing a thing, now sat back, making the kinds of moans and whines you would hear in some crappy porno. Something about his sounds was genuine, though. This was telling by the that every time Stephen moaned out, the magic around Tony seemed to get more powerful and soon enough it all just got too much, Tony humming a deep moan against the head of Stephen’s cock as he came all over the couch, some streaking onto the side of Stephen’s jeans. In amongst the ecstasy, Tony dragged himself away, a string of spit connecting his lip and Stephen’s length, his own mouth gaping open as he struggled for breath. He looked disheveled and yet awfully handsome like this. “Keep your mouth like that,” Stephen quickly ordered, lifting his hips a little and painfully jerking himself off, knowing full well that he was close - if only Tony had stayed there a little while longer. It was painful due to how damaged his hands were but god, it was worth it, cum eventually shooting onto Tony’s awaiting tongue, coating it quite nicely.

 

Time passed by and so did the sensation ecstasy, the two men now slumped back on the messy couch, both rather exhausted by the whole affair. 

“Hey, Stephen.” Tony had glanced over to the sorcerer and the sorcerer glanced back, an eyebrow raised.

“Yes?”

“Can you like, conjure up binding materials and all that other kinky stuff?”

“Sure can.”

“Might stop by that Sanctum of yours one day then. Out of curiosity, of course.”

Stephen knowingly smirked, “of course.”


	2. adorable & admirable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen finds out about one of Tony's many priorities.

It had been a good few weeks since Sunan’s tragic departure; Wong was finally deciding to talk to Stephen again. The pair settled the unsettling rift that had formed between them and were back to their old ways - of course, neither of them would ever forget Sunan but the truth was, the world needed them to move on to more present matters - the Sorcerer Supreme unfortunately isn’t granted time to grieve and neither is his esteemed librarian. 

 

“You still didn’t tell me where you went that night,” Wong muttered one morning out of the blue once they had finished their morning meditation session.

“Well, actually I—”

“Don’t tell me!”

“What? Why not? You literally just asked me.” Stephen, who was often confused by Wong’s questioning anyway, was much more confused now.

“Firstly I never  _ asked _ and secondly, I happen to already know. You’re not very good at living a secret life, Doctor Strange.”

 

What was the point of Wong digging for information then? Shaking his head, Stephen stood up soon realising that the whole point was simply just to tease him about it - it meant the two of them were back to being friends instead of bitter roommates. It was a good change even if the topic at hand was ever so slightly awkward.

  
  
  


Tony and Stephen had actually seen each other a few more times after that night, sometimes just to hang out, sometimes something more - it was nice to have someone to go to though, either way. Their meetups were never planned as such, it usually begun with either Tony knocking upon the doors of the Sanctum at an ungodly hour or Stephen conjuring up a portal to lead to wherever Tony was.

 

 

Deciding the Sanctum could do without his company for a few hours, Stephen did just that, lifting up both of his hands, one wearing the sling ring while the other circled around to create a shimmering portal which he briskly stepped through. The man he was after was almost always alone so of course, he stupidly took no precautions when entering the unknown space. The last thing he expected to see was that Tony Stark had a guest sat in his own room. A guest other than himself.

 

“Crap!” He was just about to stumble backwards when whoever the stranger was, dropped his glass of drink on the floor, Tony himself turning around to see what had shocked the young man. 

“Stephen! Stephen, come in. You need to meet this guy.” As wary as he was, Stephen steadied himself and wandered closer, the portal shutting behind him, leaving nothing but a small wisp of smoke. As he got closer, he came to realise that Tony’s guest wasn’t a nameless lover or a business associate - he was, in fact, a young boy. “Stephen, this is Peter Parker; Peter, this is Doctor Stephen Strange.”

 

Peter and Tony were sat on the large double bed, sheets sprawled everywhere, mathematical equations floating in the air in the form of blue AI lights. Did Tony have a son Stephen didn’t know about? Why did he never tell him. Despite the introduction, the sorcerer didn’t lend his hand out to shake or anything along those lines, he just stood there stiffly, confusion causing his eyebrows to hang low. He didn’t necessarily mean to act so unwelcoming but he just never took Tony as a guy who spent his spare time helping kids with their homework, not even if he was paid to do so.

“Hi…” It was the boy, Peter, who eventually broke the silence. “I’m Mister Stark’s intern.”

“No he’s not, he’s Spider-Man. The guy in the red and blue spandex.”

“I thought you said we were keeping  _ that _ a secret, Tony!” Peter had kept his secret for so long now, he was shocked to see Tony just blurting it out without warning. Luckily, Tony went on to explain how Stephen was a hero just like the two of them, and one of the heroes he trusted most. By the end of his explanation, both Peter and Stephen alike had relaxed, neither of them defensive anymore. The three of them soon deep in conversation, Stephen not helping with the homework  _ too _ much since physics was never his strong subject and the fact that his powers were considered as an ‘anti-science’ he felt as though any input he provided completely contradicted the theories Peter was trying to get his head around.

  
  


 

“So yeah, Peter came upstate for a few days since he has an appointment,” Tony paused for a second mid-sentence but soon continued, though Stephen suspected there was something more to this, “you know, one of those college interview things. He’s a bright kid and they want him in early, right Peter?”

“Right.”

“That gives him a reason to be here; what about you, Houdini?” It wasn’t as if Tony was complaining though. Here Stephen was, fully clad in his extravagant sorcerer gear - who in their right mind would complain? Well, Tony always did like a man in uniform. Okay. Time to stop, and actually pay attention to the man’s words rather than his appearance.

“You asked me about sme certain spells, remember? I thought I’d showcase them to you.” He cast a small glance towards Peter, honestly feeling sorry for the boy since what Stephen had in mind wasn’t something a child should hear or even see. “I’d have to show you in private though since I’m still a little rusty.”

 

 

Poor Peter, who was oblivious to the sexual tension that was building around him, took Stephen’s words as an invitation to leave, though he didn’t seem bitter at all. God, even the way he smiled softly as he scooped up his sheets of paper was too god damn cute. Who allowed Tony to look after such a  _ good _ teen. “You still able to drive me there tomorrow morning, Tony?” Peter asked as he stood up, hugging his homework to his chest.

“Of course, I promised you.” It was all rather vague but Stephen didn’t mind; he was just so intrigued to see Tony acting like a parent to this young man. It was both adorable and… Admirable.

  
  


 

Suddenly finding themselves alone once Peter shut the door behind himself, Stephen whispered a small apology under his breath before he was silenced by Tony’s hand reaching up to stroke across his jawline. ‘I missed you’, were the unspoken words that lingered in the air. A soft kiss upon Stephen’s warm lips was what replaced the tentative touch of Tony’s hand - a beautiful greeting for an ever so beautiful man.

 

“Don’t show me the spells today,” spoke Tony, his lips drifting round to kiss the sorcerer’s jaw instead. “The magic can stay as a Greenwich Village activity - when you’re in my home, we do things my way.” Little did Stephen know… Tony already had something prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, alright, i realise this was anticlimactic as hell but i needed to introduce peter now so i can slip him into the story at a later date and not have to struggle with an introduction


	3. memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony can't get his words out so Stephen helps him.

Everything was a hazy blur of ecstasy for quite some time after Tony ‘demonstrated’ some of his new inventions on Stephen. Fuck, he was aching in places he didn’t even know he could ache but then again, he also felt ten years younger - it was an odd feeling and that was coming from a man who encounters peculiar things on a day to day basis.

 

Knowing they both had work commitments, the pair parted ways as per usual, Stephen returning to the Sanctum with a shit-eating grin on his face - he was far too happy for his own good after seeing Tony. Unfortunately after a high such as that, a low was soon to follow but for now… He relished in the fact that for once, he was smiling. Truly smiling. 

 

‘I need to talk to someone. You. I need to speak with you, I’m coming round.’

This was the text Stephen received two days later, Tony’s name popping up on his phone. He didn’t even ask if he could come around - he just assumed he could. Which he could. But still, asking if you can is always polite. Either way, Stephen ran a hand through his hair in his own attempt to appear at least a  _ little  _ presentable. What he didn’t expect to see when he opened the door to the knocking visitor was Tony looking so disheveled and suddenly the owner of an overgrown five o’clock shadow.

“Are you…?” 

“Just let me in Stephen.” 

 

Tony didn’t say a word for ages, only staring into the crackling fireplace that blazed in front of him. 

“I want to explain, Stephen, I really do but I just can’t get the words out. I try and my mouth dries up and my heart wants to leap out of my chest. I haven’t told anyone and only a few other people know because they were there, I…” The man sighed in defeat, unsure if that helped the situation at all.

The sorcerer, softly rested his hand upon Tony’s shoulder, not wanting to overcrowd him, “look, I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what you’re on about but if it’s the words you're struggling with, I might be able to help.” What Stephen had in mind was a bold idea since he hadn’t actually tested it on a person before, but Tony already looked as if he was in a bad state as it was so any emotional damage that came with what he was about to do wouldn’t amount to too much. Just the case of proposing such a preposterous idea now—

“What? You gonna read my mind or some shit?” Well. It looked as though the cat was out of the bag in this case.

“If you’ll allow me to then, yes. I don’t know if it hurts but I’ve seen it done before and it’s never turned out too bad.” By the almighty whatever-they-were, he was such an amature still, even after all his training. He only had Wong around to help him these days too since the Ancient One was dead, Mordo was missing and the other elders in Kamar-Taj like Hamir, well, they wouldn’t talk to him. He was half excepting Tony to refuse but was relieved when he heard the man sigh out,

“Fine.”

 

The two of them decided to sit down on the ground for this just in case one of them fell over during the process or suddenly broke off any connection - it was safer this way. Slowly, Stephen ungloved his hand, holding his index finger and middle finger out while the other two fingers tucked into his palm. Honestly, it still hurt his hands to hold precise hand gestures like this but he learned to work through that these days. Holding his hand out, he let his fingertips touch Tony’s forehead and before they knew it, both men yelled out in agony but that was then followed by an eerie silence and darkness.

 

Stephen awoke to find himself in some sort of military base, first thinking he was alone but then to his astonishment, he could see three figures stood on the other side of the room; Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, though there was someone else stood behind a glass window but Stephen couldn’t recognise who that was. Whatever they were talking about, it was beginning to get tense and the sorcerer couldn’t help but move closer, sticking to the shadows until he remember that this was just a memory and that he couldn’t be seen. He was basically taking a walk  _ through _ Tony’s mind, seeing it all in real time. Now in range of the screen they were watched, Stephen witnessed a car crash, one that seemed to make Tony’s noticeably upset. It wasn’t just a crash, however, the events that followed made even Stephen feel sick: a man on a motorcycle pulled up alongside the car and proceeded to punch Tony’s father to death and by this point, Stephen realised who the attacker was… Sergeant Barnes. Bucky.

 

Tears were brimming at Tony’s eyes but yet he continued to watch as Bucky choked his mother to death before shooting the camera that watched him. Just as the footage cut out, Tony lunged towards Bucky and even Stephen himself jumped forward to grab him back but Steve grabbed him first and besides, Stephen wasn’t technically  _ real _ right now so his actions wouldn’t have helped anyway.

“Did you know?” Tony asked, lip quivering out of pure anger and upset.

“I didn’t know it was him.”

“Don’t  _ shit _ me, Rogers; did you know?”

“... Yes.”

 

It was heartbreaking, the memory starting to fade away but before all sight was lost, Stephen ‘caught eye contact’ with Tony and god, did it hurt to see that man cry - it hurt so much. Stephen himself, was holding back his own tears though he didn’t know if they were his emotions or him experiencing Tony’s. Only then did the connection break, the sorcerer’s hand dropping from Tony’s head.

 

“It’s been a year…” Muttered Tony, his head hanging low as he pinched the bridge of his nose to stop himself from crying again. “It’s been a year and  _ every _ night I see that video replay in my brain, Stephen.” 

Stephen was only just opening his eyes, heart racing from what he had just achieved and the terrible tragedy he had just witnessed for the first time.

“I don’t know what to say… You didn’t deserve to lose them like that.” Unfortunately, the one thing Stephen was still trying to get to grips with himself was death - the death of those he cared about and even his own deaths. 

“My dad may have been shit but to know how he died and to see it happen - I feel sick every time. My mom too… Fuck, Stephen, I’m a grown ass man, I don’t want to be like this.” Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes and took a sharp inhale of breath through his nose. “I feel so weak and betrayed and I can’t tell anyone about it because I’m the bad guy in all of this, apparently.” 

“You’re not a bad man, Tony.” Stephen scooted over to the other man, an arm wrapping around him, letting him rest his weight on him instead.

“I sold weapons, I split up the avengers, I tried to force people to work for a government they have no faith in—”

“You were doing what you thought was right. You  _ used  _  to be a bad guy, you’ve changed. Same goes for me; I feel like crap whenever I remember all the patients I turned down as a surgeon just so I could get an interesting case… How many people died due to my ego. I’ve changed though. We both have. Tony, dear… You are  _ not _ a villain. Nor is Steve or Bucky, though. They were wrong to hide what happened from you, yes, but just like you, they thought they were doing the right thing.” He gently brought Tony’s head down to rest on his shoulder, stroking his hair softly despite not being able to feel the soft texture himself. “I’m sorry, I’m not the best at comforting people - just forget everything I said.”

“I don’t want to. You’re the first person who’s actually tried to talk to me instead of at me or about me. You’re wiser than you think, Strange. Soon you’ll be spewing out inspirational paragraphs to all the Avengers all while mentioning things about weird gods we never knew existed. You’re special.”

“You say that like you’re not special yourself, Stark.” He leant down and pressed a small kiss against the top of his head. “You are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so yeah, glossed over the smut because i'm lazy  
> BUT i've repayed you in angst so *you're wlcome*


	4. nightlife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a normal date for normal people

_If we’re going to make this a_ **_dating_ ** _thing, I have one request. It’s only small, Stephen and I’m pretty sure you’ll be up for it._

 

 _Spit it out, Stark. Also please don’t say we’re dating in_ **_that_ ** _tone. We’re dating. Simple. When you say it like that we sound like teenagers._

 

_You’re such a drama queen. Look, the idea is that once a month we go out like normal people. We’re far from normal and that’s great but I like the simple pleasures in life!_

 

_You want to go clubbing._

 

_I didn’t even say anything? Wait, how did you—_

 

_You think awfully loud, Tony, though… I can’t complain. Sometimes your thoughts are more than appealing._

 

* * *

 

 

Pounding bass could be felt from outside the venue, club classic tunes playing and just about loud enough to hear the lyrics from out in the cold, winter’s night as well. The pair of them agreed to have a ‘normal’ night, however, it would be far from normal if they had to show identification to get in there so Tony agreed to a single exception: Stephen could use his sorcery to bribe them both  in there and with little effort, it worked!

 

Putting their coats in storage, they faced each other, clearly checking each other out - effort had certainly been made for Stephen and Tony alike. A beautifully fitting floral shirt clung to Stephen, quite a few of the top buttons left undone to reveal his hairless chest (okay, there was like one hair and he was very proud of that). This was paired with black jeans and some smart looking brown shoes. Everything he was wearing looked brand new, though Tony assumed Stephen didn’t buy all of this, a simple trick of the eye - a conjuring of clothes, whatever you wanted to call it.

 

Tony, on the other hand, didn’t go as garish as Stephen did - opting for a light blue shirt and a pair of rather… Tight trousers. He wore sneakers with this look, not exactly smart looking but it was his own personal style and Stephen just so happened to love that.

 

Only when the sorcerer reached for his hand, did Tony realise that he was wearing a pair of silky black gloves as well. He was about to tell him that he didn’t need to cover up his hands but Stephen already anticipated a question like this and spoke up as soon as he saw Tony’s pitiful look.

“Just while we’re in public.” It was clearly a touchy subject so Tony questioned no more and instead took the man’s hand and went upstairs with him, moving towards the loud music while at the same time trying to push past people who just stood still in awkward places. No one cared. No one at all cared who they were or why they were there - it was perfect. Hopefully the barman wouldn’t notice them either.

 

That was a long shot of a wish. Of course the guy knew Tony Stark when he saw him, even in dim light. As soon as he showed a glimpse of looking excited, Stephen leant over the barside and pressed his finger up against the stranger’s lips - he was trembling as per usual but he knew he had the control here however much his hands shook. Luckily the young man nodded, understanding what that whole thing meant.

“I’d like any one of your virgin cocktails and my…” Tony trailed off, glancing over for Stephen to finish his sentence off. Great! What a way to put a man on the spot.

“ _Date_ would like the same, thank you.” His lips pulled up into proud smile of sorts, leaning in close to talk by Tony’s ear so that he could hear him: “before you say it; yes, I know I can drink even if you’re not. Truth is, I think alcohol makes us both _way_ too emotional.” He laughed a little as he stood back up straight but part of both of them knew that the true reason was much more personal than that. Besides, the virgin cocktails were nice enough and who said you needed to be drunk to have fun - especially when these two men seemed to jump at any opportunity to dance.

 

With the songs changing half way through every time, there was no point in waiting for a certain song to come on to go up and dance - they had to wade their way through the crowd now or never. Just as Tony swerved past someone, they turned around with a pint of beer in their hand, some of it sloshing over the edge and spilling onto Tony’s shirt, staining it quite horrifically.

“Watch where you’re fucking going!” Unfortunately the other person didn’t hear Tony’s shouting and stumbled off none the wiser. Pathetic. This whole idea was pathetic. It was far too crowded and the music was far too loud. It was far too much for his mind to comprehend. It was all getting to him when suddenly he felt a hand grab onto his arm, swinging him around to face him. Stephen. Just the sight of him calmed Tony down.

 

For the time being the DJ was infatuated with 00’s song. Not the best choice, we can all agree, but there was no way of telling him otherwise and other people around them seemed to be enjoying themselves. The high pitched intro of _Toxic_ by _Britney Spears_ began to play and Stephen instinctively began to move, his shoulders rolling back as he smirked towards his partner.

“Are you seriously telling me you can resist a bit of Britney?” Asked the sorcerer, trying to entice Tony to dance with him - bearing in mind that he had to shout everything he said just so he could be heard.

“You call that dancing?” Tony threw back, raising a questionable brow at the man.

“You call _that_ having fun?”

He had a point.

 

Letting loose, Tony began to dance opposite Stephen, not much space between them as people slowly pushed them closer and closer. They soon got so close that Tony was pressed up against him, his hand splayed out across Stephen’s chest. Licking his lips, he looked up at his date, finally able to enjoy himself because when he was with his sorcerer, nothing else mattered. No one else mattered. It was just the two of them in their own little bubble. As the song changed yet again, Stephen took this as his chance to dip down and steal a kiss, one hand holding the small of Tony’s back while his other hand cupped his cheek.

 

They lost themselves that night, dancing as if they were they only people in the world and normal, mortal humans at that. It was, ironically, a breath of fresh air. Lip syncing cheesy songs at one another and hands running across each other’s bodies: it was all so liberating. Neither of the men had smiled so much as compared to that night.

 

... A night Stephen would never forget.

The dancing was no longer the most prominent memory of that night - something else lingered on his mind, these days.

 

It all happened so fast and there was no explanation for it happening, either. One moment they were holding onto each other, the next Tony was pulling away with a grin on his face, mouthing to Stephen that he was going to go back and get some more drinks. As he stepped back though, something odd began to occur. His skin began to glow, parts of him disappearing from view. At first Stephen assumed it was the strobe lights playing tricks on him but as he went to grab Tony’s arm, his hand just fell straight through him almost as if he was a ghostly figure. The next second… He was gone.

 

Of course Stephen was in shock, he was upset and he was angry. Shouting Tony’s name, he must have looked crazy. He didn’t help his case once he whipped his gloves off, throwing them to the ground as he threw out a sparking incantation from his fingertips, accidentally hitting a random bystander. He was simply acting out of impulse and nothing more. That’s when the screaming started, everyone beginning to run away from him - this wasn’t good at all. In a panic, the sorcerer summoned his coat to return to him, grabbing the garment as he flew in his direction, rummaging through a pocket to grab his sling ring  and create a portal back to the Sanctum. He’d only make things worse if he stayed there. The doctor needed a space to think, calm down and sort this shit out. _Whatever this shit was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH DAMN, plot twist, i actually have a plot going here - who would have GUESSED?


	5. a dream date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the task of finding tony begins...

“So… That’s the reason why I gathered you all here this morning.” Stephen let out a defeated sigh, glancing around his study to only see four people sat there. What was he to expect? After the extreme fall out following the Sokovian Accords, not many heroes were willing to risk their lives and identities for Tony Stark. A valid reason, sure.. But this was a matter of Tony’s life and yet only a few people turned up after he had saved their lives multiple times, often putting himself in danger? It was safe to assume Stephen was rather disappointed. Still, he was thankful some people showed up.

 

Peter Parker was first to arrive that morning and despite Stephen protest that he didn’t want to put a teenager in danger, Peter was adamant that he had to help and frankly, Stephen needed a lot of that. 

 

Next to arrive was Vision. It was obvious where his duties lied. He did seem a little distant, however, he was there so that was a start.

 

Rhodey also joined them, though in no fit state to physically help them. He would be their man on the ground, though and if anyone knew Tony, it was him. The same went for Pepper Potts who also turned up on the Sanctum’s doorstep after hearing the same telepathic call of help everyone else had.

 

That was how Stephen intended on gathering as many people as he could. A simple, worldwide plead for help that every hero would hear whether they chose to or not. 

 

_ ‘Tony Stark is missing. He is in dire need of our help, if you are willing, please come to 177A Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village, New York. More will be explained there. Hope to see you soon, Doctor Stephen Strange.’ _

 

Of course, as of now, not everyone knew who Stephen even was - as far as he was aware, only Peter knew and that was only because they were introduced by Tony himself.

  
  
  


After spending a few minutes summerising the situation, the sorcerer then began to list off suspect places where Tony could have been taken.  _ The Dark Dimension. The Demon Realm. The Dream Dimension. The Quadriverse. Hell itself. _

 

“Wait… You’re implying Mr Stark isn’t even on Earth?” Asked Vision, peering at Stephen in an unforgiving manner.

“I’m practically certain at this point. I’ve searched in every way possible and there isn’t a trace of Tony on this plane. Also means he could be in the Astral Plane but I highly doubt—”

He was cut off by Rhodey clearing his throat, wanting to say his piece: “why should we even trust you, Doctor Voodoo?”

“Actually, that’s someone else.  _ Brother _ , actually.”

“I don’t care! I just want to know why we should trust you, a stranger. How do you even know Tony, anyway?”

 

Stephen fell silent. No longer rambling on about dimensions or similar disappearances. He was so close to blurting out the truth in the hope that they would trust him more but Peter was the one to actually speak up.

 

“They’ve both been helping me train. Tony helps me with the suit, Stephen helps me with the fighting side of things. They’ve been working together for a while. I’m kind of like a quiet project they’ve been working on, right?” 

 

Not exactly the truth, but that would have to do.

 

“Right.” Nodding sternly, Stephen then began pacing up and down the room, his gloved hands held behind his back. Everyone was waiting on his decision now. 

  
  


It wasn’t until an hour later that he came to a conclusion, halting for a moment before spinning around on the ball of his foot to face everyone.

“I believe our best bet is the Dream Dimension. Demons would rarely kidnap an individual so close in my range and the Dark Dimension is having mindless troubles of its own right now. Come to think of it, I haven’t been troubled by nightmares for a few weeks now, maybe Nightmare was planning this all along… A nightmare became reality.” He knew he was basically talking to himself throughout this explanation but truth be told, Stephen Strange always was a slut of a good, old-fashioned monologue. 

“How do we get there, then?” Pepper asked, surprisingly keeping up with Stephen’s preposterous rambling.

“Just like it says on the tin, dear… We dream. Ever watched Inception with Leonardo Dicaprio? It’ll be like that but with less layers.”

“Oh, I do love that film.” Everyone turned to look at Vision once he said this but he didn’t elaborate further, unfortunately.

  
  


The plan was as follows: Stephen, Peter and Vision would fall asleep and Stephen would direct all three of them to the Dream Dimension through a mental link forged by sorcery. Pepper and Rhodey were vital too since they were there to protect their physical forms while they dreamt and also wake them up if trouble was indicated. 

  
  


\---

 

One by one the three of them fell asleep, delving into the dream dimension where Stephen brought them together. It was as if they were awake and simply on another planet. Well, since it was technically another dimension, that kind of was the case. Though explaining that to everyone would just waste too much time. 

 

The ground beneath their feet was dusted red, almost reflective if you peered at it for long enough. There were no buildings around, just shapes that changed appearance whenever you glanced away to then look back. There were even colours mankind couldn’t put a name to yet. Nothing to compare it to other than exactly what it was… A dream.

  
  


“Right. Peter? Vision? All set to go? We stay together, of course and any sight of Tony or Nightmare must be dealt with caution.” People may have been mistaken and believed Stephen enjoyed this position of leadership but in actual fact, he hated it. Once again, lives were at risk and by his hand. It filled the poor man with dread these days…

“How do we know what this Nightmare dude looks like?” Asked the youngest of them, Peter. 

“Oh, you’ll know when you see him, trust me, Peter.” 

 

It felt as though they wandered the plane of existence for hours-- days, even. Time appeared to be a foreign concept here which just made things immensely worse. Vision insisted that they woke up countless times due to how long they had been there, however, every time Stephen repeated himself, explaining how time moves differently here. Every time met with an impatient sigh from his two companions. He could sense them wanting to give up. Even Peter. As much as he wanted to find Tony, walking around aimlessly wasn’t giving them any results. Maybe they were looking in the wrong place completely.

 

No.

 

He had to be here.

 

Stephen couldn’t  _ afford  _ to be wrong. 

  
  


It was at that exact point that finally, a voice - other than any of their own - was heard. A familiar voice, at that.

“Stephen--? Vision--? Peter--?” The voice was more panicked at the end of his questioning. “Why is Peter here… Get him out. Get him safe!” From up above they could see Tony being merged into a wall, only his chest and face showing now, everything else being devoured by the horrific surface he had been stuck upon. If you looked close enough, tears were running down his face. Were they tears of joy or those of sadness? Both?

“Shut up! Just shut up for a second - he’s here to help, Tony,” even Stephen’s voice was cracking up, overcome with emotion. Up to this point, he didn’t realise how deeply he truly felt about Tony. He loved him. Love with a capital L. Love that was so strong it  _ hurt _ . “Peter, web my leg and hold on to it, okay? Vision; you keep hold of Peter to keep him down.”

 

The two did as Stephen asked, both looking rather distraught themselves. WIth webbing now secure on Stephen’s calf, he flew up to where Tony was and grabbed onto his shoulders, desperately pulling at the man in order to free him--

 

He didn’t budge, though.

 

“Stephen…” 

 

“I said shut up… Please. I just need to do this one thing. I need to save you.” Falling back a bit, Stephen then began to throw every spell he knew at the odd surface, trying to find some kind of weakness… But the worst happened when one spell hit so hard that Tony began to get more engulfed, sinking away from Stephen’s grasp.

 

“ **_No!_ ** ” 

 

His pained yell echoed around as he tearfully lunged forward, only to get pulled back by the web. Why were they pulling?! That was just a precaution in case Stephen also got sucked in by whatever had Tony. Glancing back down over his shoulder, the sorcerer came to see that it was no longer Peter and Vision down there. It was Nightmare himself.

  
  


“Greetings, old friend - oh, how long it’s been since I’ve seen that handsome face of yours… Come down now, give an old chum a smooch!” Sinister as ever, Nightmare’s words dripped from his forked tongue like honey laced with poison. Thankfully, he was just in his regular humanoid form, though that didn’t make him any more pleasant to look at. Pale and pointed, dressed in a green pinstripe suit? A disaster aesthetically, honestly. 

 

“What did you do with my friends?” Screamed Stephen as he hurtled back down to the ground, storming over to Nightmare with his cloak billowing behind him.

“Friends? They’re not your friends.” True. Stephen hardly knew any of the Avengers on a personal level. He wouldn't-- No. He  _ Couldn’t _ let Nightmare get inside his head like this, however. “I’m your friend, though. I’m always there for you when you’re down. I come back to you no matter what. Two lonely souls…” His words almost came out as a song. Ghastly.

“You’re not my friend, Nightmare,” and just as he said that, Stephen raised his hand to ready another spell but found himself stopping.

 

Nightmare wasn’t defending himself. He simply stood there, hands comfortably resting on his hips.

“Am I not?” 

“No.”

Stephen dropped his hand, somehow speaking with his enemy calmly.

“But I missed you. You never came… You haven’t needed me in ages.” Nightmare looked upset, and worst of all, he looked human. It made it even harder to hurt him.

“What do you mean? I never voluntarily visited you? You were the one infiltrating  _ my _ dreams.”

“Was I?”

“Stop asking me questions instead of answering mine, you asshole.”

  
  


It was with a huff, that Nightmare sat down on the floor with his lanky legs crossed over so much they practically double crossed.

“Stephen Strange… I never found you.  _ You  _ found me. Your life has been so full of troubles that you have nightmares. You need  _ Nightmare _ to make reality seem just that little bit brighter. So yes, you needed me. I thought you liked our little meetups but then…” He spat on the floor, his mucus a horrid, mossy green: “you got happy. You met  _ him _ . Stark. I don’t blame you - he’s got a handsome face as well. Nearly resembles yourself. Oh, so  _ vain _ , Strange. So, so, vain… Oh, he’s free now by the way. Probably still in that club I took him from. Ugh, I had to make a deal with a hel goddess to perform a trick like that - fuckin’ regret it now.”

 

Hearing all of this was bittersweet for Stephen. He knew Tony was safe now and he knew Nightmare never truly intended to hurt him but was all of that really true? Had he been  _ needing _ Nightmare to overcome his own waking struggles? Being with Tony had, in fact, ‘defeated’ Nightmare for Stephen and he didn’t even know it.

“What about the others?” Stephen didn’t even think to ask Nightmare any questions about what was just explained. As selfish as it sounded, Stephen didn’t exactly care for this being’s feelings - he experienced nothing but grief with him.

“The boy and the android have awoken and so it looks… Have you.”

 

Stephen slowly looked down at his own body to see it fading away, leaving only a small trailing of webbing behind.

 

“ _ Please come back again, Stephen… Take your time but, you know I’ll always be here for you. Waiting. Hoping. Ready.” _

  
  


\--

 

Those words stayed with Stephen over the next few days and he was angry at himself for even beginning to care about that putrid man. The man who had drove him to a sleeping insanity far too many times. It was all just a fucking game in the end. Stephen should have felt glad but all he felt was anger and guilt all neatly tied together in one large mess.

 

On the plus side… He saved Tony and in turn - though oblivious to it - Tony saved him.

  
  


Things were back how they should be. Better, in fact. Tony was spending more time at the Sanctum and despite his constant droning on about how outdated the decor was, Stephen knew he secretly loved it.

“Natasha and Clint are going out later, we’ve been invited… Fancy going?” Sleekly moving behind Stephen who was sat down in his armchair, Tony leant down and nuzzled his nose into the sorcerer’s hair, taking him his familiar, now homely, scent. 

“I’d rather stay in, honestly. Last time we went out, you disappeared and left me in bed all alone that night.” Tilting his head, Stephen gazed up at Tony, a sweet smile on his face; “I’m pretty sure my bed’s free right now though so if you want to make it up to me…”

“You know, if you want to fuck, all you gotta do is ask, Stephen - quit with the voodoo riddles!” Tony was laughing to himself, already walking off, leaving Stephen to haul himself up and go after him. 

 

Back to how things  _ should  _  be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... looks like the tables have turned for one of strange's most notorious villains? :^)


End file.
